Picking Up the Pieces
by idekjlmw
Summary: The story follows a woman trying to make sense of her life, all while battling depression, a toxic relationship, and a best friend in danger of overdosing. When the criminal organization from her favorite childhood show invade her quiet life, she's positive that she's going insane. But maybe insanity is just the cure she needs. A different fic full of family, laughter, and feels.
1. Chapter 1: Crazy World

**A/N:** **Hey everyone. So this is a story very close to my heart. I know it's stupid to say that about a fanfic, but its true. I'm kinda baring my soul here by sharing this. I debated for a long time about whether or not I should. I decided to do it, figuring it would give me a bit of closure. So if you find this fic and decide its worth your time, then please enjoy.**

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Chapter 1: Crazy World

Back sore from carrying books all day, Chrysanthemum made her way up the stairs to the sixth floor apartment. It had been a long day and the pricks of a migraine were beginning to surface at the base of her head. All she wanted to do was take a hot shower and curl up on the couch with her boyfriend. Maybe he would even be willing to put on a movie and she could do a bit of drawing while it was on. Reaching the front door, Chrysanthemum fiddled with the keys, grumbling until she was able to slide the correct one into the lock and push open the door.

"David?" she called, sighing as the warm apartment soothed her chilled body. "I'm home."

"Hey babe," a voice inside replied. "Where you been?"

Chrysanthemum kicked off her shoes and set her bag by the door. She wandered into the living room where she found David lounging on the couch, scrolling ceaselessly through his laptop.

"I've been at work, David," the girl replied, plopping next to him. "Like I am every day."

"Oh yeah," her boyfriend said absently, not really paying attention. Chrysanthemum bit her lip and tried not to feel like she was being brushed off.

"What about you?" she asked lightly. "How's the business?"

David made a face, still not looking away from his screen.

"Eh, fine I guess," he said. "Had a super boring phone conference I could have skipped. Sounds like we sold the few systems to some loser small-time companies. The usual."

Chrysanthemum rolled her eyes at the disinterest he was showing.

"That's great honey," she said, trying to sound sincere.

David Charles Jones was the heir to a security system firm that had been making good money for decades. It wasn't a billion dollar corporation or anything, but it was large enough so that David had always been very well off his entire life. He was currently shadowing his father in preparation to take over the family business. Or at least, that's what he was supposed to be doing. He preferred to go to parties and sporting events with his friends rather than learn about the company he would soon be inheriting.

Chrysanthemum rose from the couch, stretching. "Well, I'm going to take a shower and head to bed. You can join me later if you want."

"Oh, actually babe," David said, looking at her for the first time since she had arrived. "The guys are coming over tonight to watch the football game, so could you make dinner and some snacks?"

"David, I'm tired," Chrysanthemum replied, trying not to be annoyed. "Can you just order some pizzas?"

David looked at her incredulously. "What's the big deal?" he demanded, closing his laptop and standing. "I'm not asking for much, just a quick meal and maybe some sandwiches."

"I told you, I'm tired. It's been a long day."

"So? You should never be too tired to help me out!"

"God, really David? At least let me go take my shower first."

"No! What's the matter with you lately?"

"Me!?"

"Yes you! You're quiet now and you've been so distant, like you have better things to do than spend time with your boyfriend!"

"It's called having a full time job and being exhausted by the end of the day! And what are you talking about? You're the one who doesn't want to spend time together! You barely even acknowledge my presence unless you want something!"

"Shut up, Chrissy!" David yelled, losing his temper.

Chrysanthemum bit her lip again and turned her head away, hot tears pricking at her eyes. The two of them stood in silence for a while, neither one looking at the other. Then David unclenched his fists and took a step forward, embracing his reluctant girlfriend in his arms.

"Is that how you feel?" he asked softly. "Like I'm ignoring you?" Chrysanthemum didn't reply. "Tell you what," he continued. "You go take your shower or whatever, I'll order pizza, and tomorrow, we'll go on a date."

Chrysanthemum looked up at him, brown eyes wide.

"Date?" she repeated. They hadn't been on a date in forever. If she was being honest with herself, she was forgetting what it was like to be in love with David. A date would be good for them.

"Yeah, a date," David said firmly, as though he was convincing himself of it. "We'll go to that sushi place you like and then maybe a movie. Sound good?"

Chrysanthemum gave him a small smile and tried to move past her bad feelings from before. "Sounds good."

"Cool," David said with his signature goofy grin. He leaned down and caught his girlfriend's lips in a kiss. She wasn't really feeling it, but she kissed him back anyways.

. . .

After taking the longest shower of her life, Chrysanthemum put her long brown hair in a messy bun and climbed into the king size bed she shared with David. Down the hall she could hear him and his buddies booing loudly at the referees in the football game. Sighing as she nestled into the blankets, Chrysanthemum scrolled through her phone absently. Once she replied to a few messages and checked her social media accounts, she briefly browsed some news headlines. One in particular caught her eye.

 **SUPPOSED TERRORIST ATTACK ON LOCAL SHOPPING CENTER**

The shopping center itself was one that Chrysanthemum frequented and it wasn't too far away. Curious, the girl opened the story and began reading:

 _Authorities are baffled by the large explosion that decimated approximately half of the local shopping center. Several injuries have been reported, but thankfully no deaths have been made known to the public. What made the explosion strange was that it didn't seem to be targeting anything and it left a massive crater in the north parking lot, something a regular bomb would not do. An official field expert stated that the crater was something a collision would have made, like a meteor, but no debris was found on the scene. Police have not ruled out freak accident, but are currently acquitting the destruction to a minor terror cell. There have been several reports of a group of people leaving the scene of the attack, all wearing black and red clothing. This group is the prime suspect of the attack and authorities are interested in all information on this potentially dangerous group of individuals._

 _'Wow,'_ Chrysanthemum thought to herself, turning off her phone and putting it aside. _'Crazy world.'_

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 **Hope you liked the first chapter. Please let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Worst Day

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey guys! I was really impatient to upload this chapter, so you guys get it a day early! Yay! I will be trying to update weekly on Tuesdays. Please understand if I end up being late however. Also sorry if this is moving to slowly for you, I'm really trying to make it a good story.**

 **Well I'll leave you to your reading. Enter the Akatsuki!**

 **Another Author's Note:**

 **Y'all are supposed to tell me when there are typos! This chapter was a mess and no one said anything.**

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Chapter 2: The Worst Day

Chrysanthemum woke up in a good mood. That should have been her first sign that something was wrong.

The young woman hummed tunelessly to herself as she made her way to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and even put on some light makeup, which she hadn't touched in months. After dressing in her favorite sweater that fell off her shoulders and some comfortable skinny jeans, she looked herself in the mirror with a satisfied smile.

' _Good job, Chrissy,'_ she told herself.

Chrysanthemum then left the room and walked into the chaos of the living room. Chip bags, pizza boxes, and beer cans were strewn everywhere. David was snoring on the couch in a position that couldn't be comfortable and the TV was still on, a newscaster blandly informing them that it was going to rain later. Chrysanthemum's first thought was annoyance at the mess, but her second was a worried prayer that all of David's friend had got home safely and that they had called a taxi rather than drive home buzzed. Just as she was debating whether or not to wake David up so he could check on his friends, her phone rang. Not expecting any calls, the girl pulled out her phone, dreading the thought of being called in to work on her one day off. But the number was unknown. Hesitantly, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Chrissy?" came a soft voice on the other end.

Chrysanthemum was stunned. "Matthew? Hi!"

"Hi!" came the reply. "Wow it's been a long time! You'd think I would see you around more."

"I know, I'm sorry," Chrysanthemum said, warmth filling her heart. "I'm usually at work when you and David hang out."

Matthew was David's best friend. The quiet, thoughtful young man had stuck to David's side like glue for all of middle and high school. He was actually how she and David had met, begging her to be their tutor since they were both useless at math.

"Well we should go out for lunch sometime," Matthew said pleasantly. "I want to see what the greatest artist of all time is up to!"

Chrysanthemum laughed right along with him, but the warmth in her heart began to turn into a dull ache. Talking to Matthew was nostalgic. Everything was different now, and those simpler times seemed like so long ago.

"Lunch, huh?" she said, starting to clean up the mess in her living room. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot, Matthew."

"Then I'll make the time to see you," Matthew promised. "Anyways, I called because I had a question for you."

"Shoot." Chrysanthemum went to the kitchen and dragged the trashcan over so she could toss in the empty cans and rubbish.

"I was wondering if you'd seen Rose around lately?"

Chrysanthemum stopped at that. She switched the cellphone to her other ear.

"I haven't seen Rose in almost a year," she said shortly. Whatever good mood she had been in this morning had evaporated.

"Oh…" Matthew said, seeming to hear the tension in her voice. "Well I swung by her place yesterday and it looks like she hasn't been home in a while."

"She might be on vacation." But Chrysanthemum knew it was a long shot. Just like Matthew was David's best friend, once upon a time Rose had been hers. And she knew it was more probable that Rose was dead in a ditch, rather than tanning on a beach somewhere.

"I'm just worried, Chrissy," Matthew said, the anxiety in his voice clear.

Chrysanthemum sighed, seeing that her day was officially ruined. "I'll go look for her," she promised.

"Thank you," came Matthew's relieved voice. "You know her better than anyone."

"Don't worry, Matthew. I'll find her."

. . .

Once she was done cleaning, Chrysanthemum scribbled a note to David that they would have to make their lunch date a dinner date. Then she grabbed her coat and keys, and went on a hunt for Rose. She did her best not to curse the woman, but she couldn't help imagining how she was going to beat the crap out of her when she found her.

Her search took her all over the place.

She swung by Matthew and Rose's parents house and they were delighted to see her. They thought Rose was attending pre-med school in the city, studying to become the greatest doctor the world had ever seen. Chrysanthemum didn't see any reason to change that belief, so she made up an excuse as to why she couldn't stay for a late breakfast and left.

The brown haired girl then found herself in the sketchy part of downtown and looking for Rose's dealer. When she finally found the shady man, he informed her that Rose and bought some new product from him a week ago and he hadn't seen her since. He didn't try to sell Chrysanthemum anything, since they had had encounters in the past and knew she would sooner turn him in than buy.

The situation was becoming desperate now. Chrysanthemum tried to fight the pessimistic thoughts barraging her mind. Rose was an idiot for sure. But she wasn't stupid. She knew her limits. Chrysanthemum went to all of Rose's old haunts. The old skate park. The trashed man made lake. Even the forest behind their old high school. Nothing. Raking her brain for ideas, the young woman felt herself begin to panic. Where could she have gone?

Then a thought hit her. A terrible, terrible thought. Chrysanthemum hit the gas on her poor overworked car and began speeding to the one place she could think of. She hoped she was wrong. But in her heart, she knew she wasn't.

Chrysanthemum parked outside an old brick building. The place was falling apart. It was an old antique shop with a studio loft, owned by an ancient Chinese woman that could barely see and was basically deaf. Chrysanthemum had no idea how the senile old woman had kept her place from being condemned, as all the buildings around were closed and abandoned. When Chrysanthemum was still in school, she worked here in her free time. Instead of paying her, Ms. Ching had given her the studio loft so she could practice her art. More often than not, Chrissy could be found there, rather than at her house.

Chrysanthemum entered the store, the tinkling bell signaling her arrival.

"Ms. Ching?" she called, weaving her way through racks of junk. "Ms. Ching, are you here?"

There was no reply. Chrysanthemum stumbled through the store, making her way to the front desk. Ms. Ching sat in a plush arm chair behind the counter, fast asleep. The elderly woman snored loudly as Chrissy passed. The young woman didn't want to disturb her, so she slipped past and made her way to the back of the store where the stairs were. She struggled with the rusty door, the metal grinding and creaking in a way that set her teeth on edge. Finally, she managed to pry it open just enough for her to squeeze through.

The air was thick and smelled of mold. Ms. Ching probably didn't come up here to clean it. It was more likely that she forgot there was an upstairs to her building.

"Rose?" Chrysanthemum called. She made it to the top of the stairs. For a moment, all she could do was stand there be overwhelmed. Her paintings from high school hung on the walls, most ruined due to water damage. A bookshelf filled with old sketchbooks sat in a corner and there was a large table that was littered with brushes and dried up paints. She could recall every stain on the uneven floor and remember what she was doing when it happened.

A groan yanked Chrysanthemum from her thoughts. Her head snapped to a pile of dirty tarps she had used for drop cloths years ago. The pile shifted and she knew instantly what it was.

"Rose!"

Chrysanthemum ran to her old friend and pulled the grimy tarps off of her. Rose lay in a fetal position, looking like she'd been hit by a car. Her once brilliant auburn hair was greasy and matted. Her freckly skin was translucent and look paper thin. The bags under her eyes were massive and the corners of them were crusty and gross.

"God, Rose," Chrissy said, not knowing where to start. "What happened?"

"Took a bad tab," the girl croaked. "Stuff doesn't usually get to me, so I took a couple."

The drug addict made a retching noise and began dry heaving. Chrysanthemum grimaced and rolled her friend onto her side. After a few minutes, Rose stopped and took several shuddering breaths.

"I'm gonna kick JJ's ass," she grumbled, referring to her dealer.

Chrysanthemum cracked a smile at the familiar gung-ho attitude. She'd missed it.

"How long have you been here?"

"I dunno. Few days? Crashed my car nearby, couldn't think of anywhere to go. Thought you might be here."

"Oh."

For a moment, the two girls didn't say anything. Guilt was eating away at Chrysanthemum. Whenever Rose had a bad drug experience, she always managed to crawl her way to the studio. A year ago, she would have been there. Ready to patch her up and make excuses for her. But this time she hadn't been there for her.

"You would have liked this trip," Rose said, a lopsided grin on her face. "There were anime nerds like you."

"Were there?" Chrysanthemum shook herself. She had to help Rose. She managed to hoist the limp woman up in her arms. It wasn't that difficult as she had lost a lot of weight.

"Yeah spiky hair, stupid costumes and everything," Rose continued. "They got here last night I think."

"Uh huh," Chrysanthemum said absently, dragging her friend to the hall with the bathroom. It was hard work.

"They're still in the back room I think."

"I'll have to check it out."

She laid Rose on the bathroom floor and moved to the tub. It was disgusting, but it would have to do. She turned the faucet a few times, until it gushed dirty brown water. After a few moments running, it turned clear. After plugging the tub, she turned to Rose who had fallen asleep on the floor behind her. Chrysanthemum sighed, wondering what it would be like to have a normal life.

Somewhere in the apartment, there was a crash.

Chrysanthemum froze.

"Ms. Ching?" she called. There was no answer.

The young woman hesitantly stepped over the body of her friend and entered the hallway. The only other space was the tiny back room use for storage. It had always been locked whenever Chrysanthemum had been here. But now as she peered down the hall, the door to the room that had always been shut was cracked open. Someone was in here with them.

Fear rose within her and her first instinct was to scream for help. She never got the chance. A shadow appeared from nowhere right in front of Chrysanthemum. Before she could even stumble backwards, a hand was brought to her neck and everything went black.

Her last thought was that someone must have slipped her one of Rose's bad tabs. Because she could have sworn her attacker was an anime character.

. . .

"What are we going to do, un? How long are we going to be here in this dump?"

"Be quiet, brat. Leader-sama will tell us when we need to know."

"This is fucking stupid! When are we going to kill these dumb bitches?"

Chrysanthemum blearily shifted awake. She tried to stretch, but found she couldn't more her body.

"Idiot, we're not going to kill them yet. We need them to tell us where we are."

"Fuck off, old man!"

"Shut up, yeah! I think one's waking up!"

"Get Leader-sama!"

Chrysanthemum slowly opened her eyes. She found herself bound to a chair, which explained why she couldn't move. A groan next to her informed her that Rose was there too, probably in the same predicament.

"Can you hear me?"

Chrysanthemum turned to face whoever was addressing her. Everything was blurry.

"Can you hear me?" the voice repeated.

Things were coming into focus. They was still in the studio. But this time, there were a lot of people there with them. Slowly Chrysanthemum nodded.

"Good," the voice said. "Tell me where we are."

The voice was familiar, Chrysanthemum realized. Like an old friend.

"Where…?" she repeated fuzzily. Her vision was clearing. The people in the room were starting to take distinct shapes. When she finally saw who was here, it didn't make any sense than before.

"What—?" Chrysanthemum started, her heart rate picking up and her head pounding. They couldn't be here. It was impossible.

She turned to stare in horror at the man who had been talking to her before.

"What is happening!?" she demanded, her voice frantic.

Pein, one of her favorite characters from her childhood anime, blinked slowly.

"I was hoping you could tell us that," he said coldly, the Akatsuki standing behind him.

Chrysanthemum knew at that point she was either going insane or was in deep, deep trouble. Either way, this was turning into the worst day of her life.

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 **What do you think? Please please review!**

 **It's very encouraging and I'd really appreciate it.**

 **Well, until next time! Bye~!**


	3. Chapter 3: Negotiations

**Author's Note:**

 **This is a stupidly long chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying this! I'm having a lot of fun with it.**

 **Chapter Warnings: Douchebags, gross crying, and... stoned flirting?**

 **Please please review! It really would brighten my day.**

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Chapter 3: Negotiations

After being tied to a chair and watching her best friend being interrogated to the point of tears, Rose decided that drugs were bad. The auburn hair women strained at the ropes around her wrists. The tabs were not completely out of her system, but her head was a lot clearer. Clear enough to realize that this wasn't a trip and she and Chrysanthemum were actually being held hostage by a group of insane terrorists.

They were obviously insane because nothing they said made sense.

"This is you final warning," the guy with a million piercings said threateningly. He seemed to be the leader. "Tell us where we are or I will turn to more painful methods of interrogation."

"I'm telling you the truth!" Chrissy all but screamed desperately, tears pouring down her face. "You are in a city called Seattle, in a state called Washington, in a country called America!"

"Stop speaking gibberish, yeah!" the long haired blond in the group yelled, clearly frustrated. "There is no such country or city with those names!"

"Please," Chrysanthemum said, her voice breaking pathetically. "I don't think you're in your own world anymore! I don't know what's going on anymore than you do! Please!"

Piercings closed his weird grey eyes and slowly let out a measured sigh.

"I'm starting to see that," he said finally. Chrysanthemum's features started to light up in hope, but they were quickly transformed into a look of horror when the leader motioned over one of his men. "But nonetheless, I feel like you're hiding something. Itachi, interrogate them both thoroughly. Pull every bit of useful information from their minds and then dispose of them."

"W-Wait," Chrysanthemum whispered, voice suddenly hoarse. "You don't have to do that."

Piercings gave her a hard look. "Apparently I do," he said coldly. He gestured for Itachi _('what a stupid name,'_ Rose thought) to carry on and the black haired man stepped forward. It was then that Rose noticed he had red eyes, red with a swirling black pattern. They were actually… kind of beautiful… in a creepy threatening kind of way…

"Wait!" Chrysanthemum cried. Rose manage to tear her gaze away from the pretty eyes and look at her friend who was clearly losing it.

"I'll… I'll tell you everything," she said, looking where except at Itachi. "I'll tell you, you were right I was hiding something. B-But…" Chrysanthemum turned her head to make eye contact with the leader.

"I'll only tell you, Pein-sama."

Pein-sama ( _'another stupid name'_ ) met her gaze evenly. "Tell me how you know my name," he ordered.

Chrissy shook her head, though it must have taken a lot of courage to do so. "I'll only tell you," she repeated, this time with more resolve. A deep chuckle came from the group.

"You're not really in a position to give ultimatums, kid," a very tall man in the back said.

Rose did a doubletake. He was blue! Actually blue! What was with this group of freaks? There was the blond, who she had been convinced was a girl, but the voice said otherwise. There was a guy wearing a swirly orange mask that was probably impossible to see through. And the loud albino that cussed a lot was currently stabbing himself with a weird knife and licking off the blood. In fact, the only normal looking one was a short redhead sitting quietly next to the blond, but there was definitely something off about him too.

Pein (Rose remembered that _-sama_ was an honorific) faced Chrysanthemum with an expressionless look, considering her. "And why would I agree to your terms when I can just as easily get all the information I want from Itachi?"

"Because…" Chrysanthemum faltered under the leader's withering stare. "B-Because…"

Pein seemed to come to a decision in his mind. He gestured for Itachi to continue and turned away as the black haired man took a step forward. Chrysanthemum panicked.

"Because I know about Nagato!" she blurted, frantically.

She must have hit the mark because Rose could have sworn the room got ten degrees colder.

. . .

Chrysanthemum felt herself become lightheaded as the words involuntarily left her mouth. They were so screwed.

Pein slowly turned back to stare at her and she could feel his anger barely being contained behind his cold exterior. The room was dead silent, most of the Akatsuki confused because they had no idea what she was talking about. Chrissy wondered what part of the timeline they were from. Apparently, no one had died yet. But if that was the case, then why was Tobi here? He replaced Sasori after the puppet's death. But Hidan was also here, so they were from the timeline after Naruto had left for his three year training. If she had been able to, Chrysanthemum would have rubbed her temples to ward off a headache.

Pein finally spoke. "How do you know that name?" he asked.

Chrysanthemum gathered her courage and replied, "I know a lot more than that. And I promise to tell you all of it."

"But only me," the man mused. He gave her a final thoughtful stare before turning to his team. "I'll counter your terms, by agreeing to hear you out and have the others leave. But Konan stays with me and the others will take your friend. If you try anything or lie, she will die immediately."

Rose squeaked in indignation and Chrysanthemum felt a wave of relief wash over her. It wasn't the best arrangement and there was still a very high possibility that the two of them wouldn't make it out of this alive, but she knew it was their best chance.

"Yes, sir," she said breathlessly. "Thank you, sir."

Pein gave the Akatsuki some brief directions, several of them not looking happy about it. Then they all were gone, Kisame lingering just long enough to grab Rose, chair and all. The drug addict made a noise of protest at being manhandled, but seconds later she was gone as well. The only ones who remained were Pein and Konan, the two of them speaking in hushed voices.

Chrysanthemum felt a knot in her stomach. She sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that she and Rose would make it out of here without being killed. The entire situation was still a bit surreal and she almost let herself think that she was dreaming. But she knew it was real. The rope digging into her wrists was real. The weariness of her eyes and pounding headache from stress and crying was real. Her stomach clawing itself to ribbons in a reminder that she hadn't eaten all day was real. This was happening.

Pein and Konan finally finished their discussion and came over to the miserable girl.

"We will ask the questions and you will answer," Pein stated authoritatively.

Chrysanthemum nodded defeatedly.

"How do you know the name Nagato? What do you know about him?"

"Like I said, I know a lot of things," Chrissy said, resigning herself to the fact that she was going to have to go against her better judgement and break the fourth wall. "And it's going to sound insane."

Pein and Konan waited, expecting an answer. Chrysanthemum took a deep breath and decided the best course of action would be to just let it all out and deal with the effects later.

"Ninjas don't exist in this world. Well, they kind of do, but not really. Not shinobi like you at least, with chakra and everything. We don't have chakra here. And I know all these things about you because… well because I've read about you. And watched you on TV. I know it sounds crazy, but you're actually fictional characters in a show I use to watch as a child. I know pretty much everything about you. Your abilities, your pasts, when and how you die, everything. I was pretty obsessed too, I owned all the manga and a few sets of the anime and I had plushies and I did so much cosplay. Wow I was really cringy, no wonder I didn't have any friends, but Itachi is my favorite and I hate Tobi, why is he here by the way? He's not supposed to be here until after the Kazekage Retrieval Arc, but Sasori's still here. Crap I'm probably screwing up the timeline so bad right now, but I'd prefer that to dying, though dying sounds really good right now, since I hate my job and my friends and my life and my boyfriend and, oh God, David, he's going to kill me—"

"Silence!" Pein thundered, cutting of Chrysanthemum's babbling. The woman shut up instantly. The plan in her head was to explain the situation in a calm manner, but clearly that went straight to hell.

"What you say is impossible for me to believe," the Akatsuki leader stated, Konan nodding at his side. "So unless you provide me with proof of your statements, I will kill you now."

Chrysanthemum's mind blanked. Proof? She had to prove it.

"Can I be untied please?" she asked.

"No."

"Please? I can't do anything. I can't fight you, you'd win in a second. And I need to get something in order to prove it to you."

After a moments hesitation, Pein slowly conceded and nodded to Konan. The blue haired kunoichi immediately stepped forward with a kunai knife in hand. As the ropes binding her to the chair were cut, Chrysanthemum couldn't help but stare at the blue haired angel.

"You're even prettier in person," she mumbled.

Konan's lips twitched in an almost smile. When the ropes dropped to the floor, she stepped back and returned to her leader's side.

Chrysanthemum tried to stand, but found her knees to be weak and she collapsed. Realizing how pitiful she was, the young woman crawled her way to her bag that she had dropped at the stairs when she had first arrived. She dug around in it before pulling out her cellphone. Pein and Konan hovered over her in case she tried to move against them. What a joke.

"What is that?" Pein demanded.

"Phone," Chrysanthemum replied, putting in her passcode. "I don't have any of the merchandise I had when I was into the show, so I'll just have to show you a video."

"The technology of this world is very advanced," Konan noted.

Chrysanthemum hummed noncommittedly and managed to make her way to YouTube with trembling fingers. She was going to need years of therapy after this was all over. Finally managing to find a video, she pressed play and offered it to Pein. The Akatsuki leader look dubiously at the device that was blaring aggressive rock music from the crappy AMV, but he finally accepted it. He and Konan huddled around the device and Chrysanthemum took the opportunity to lay on the dirty floor and contemplate her very screwed up life.

. . .

"So I gotta ask," Rose said, boredom finally getting to her. "Are you a guy or a girl?"

The blond scowled in irritation. "I'm a guy, un!" he yelled.

Rose nodded. "That's what I thought, but the long flowing locks were throwing me off. You need a haircut, Rapunzel."

Before the blond could reply, the swirly orange mask guy jumped onto his back.

"Don't be mad Senpai!" he said in an annoying voice. "Tobi had the same question when he first saw you too!"

The blond was fuming now and began to try and beat the crap out of the self-proclaimed Tobi, while most of the others laughed at their expense. The psycho kidnappers had taken her to the top of an abandoned building really far away. It had been an interesting sensation to be flying through the air while tied to a chair. And now they were waiting for Chrissy and Piercings to finish their negotiations. Rose hoped Chrissy knew what was going on, because she sure as hell didn't. She still thought it was part of her acid trip. She was definitely going to buy more of this stuff the next time she saw her dealer.

"So what's happening here?" the auburn haired woman asked. "Is this a ransom operation? If so then I'll write you the check myself."

"How much you got kid?" a masked man with unnerving green eyes and stitches all over his body asked, a greedy tone entering his voice.

"More than you can handle," Rose replied with a wink. Okay, clearly the drugs were not out of her system yet.

"We will not take actions of any sort until Leader-sama has given us an order," Itachi reminded the stitched man.

"Lighten the fuck up, Uchiha," the albino sneered. "This is a shitty situation, might as well get something out of it."

"You," Rose said thoughtfully, staring at the man. "Chrissy would like you."

The albino glared at her. "Excuse me, bitch?"

"Last I checked, Chrissy liked idiotic douchebags. And you dress like a stripper, so bonus points!"

"The fuck you say!?" The obnoxious albino was restrained by the stitched man. "Let me go Kakuzu, you old bastard! I'll fucking sacrifice her to Jashin!"

"You're not too bad kid," Kakuzu said, appreciatively.

The big blue guy nodded. "Yeah, it'll be kind of disappointing when we have to kill you," he said with a sharp toothed grin.

"Why kill me?" Rose asked dramatically. "I can think of so many more fun things to do." She gave the tall man an appreciative once over and whistled.

The man gave her a good natured chuckle.

"I don't think I'm your type, short stuff," he said, amused.

"On the contrary," Rose said. "Big, buff, and dangerous are exactly my type. And I could work with the blue thing. It's… exotic."

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and the albino made a retching noise.

"She smells good. **Can we eat her?** "

"No Zetsu. As unfortunate as it may be, you can't eat her."

. . .

"I've seen enough," Pein decided. He placed the phone on the Chrysanthemum had been tied to. He and Konan had watched videos nonstop for about 45 minutes. The girl was still laying on the floor.

"I have come to the conclusion that you are not lying to me," he continued. Chrysanthemum lifted her head just enough to view the man staring contemplatively at the ceiling.

"You say there is more material regarding the Akatsuki and others from this… anime?" he asked, the word strange to him.

"Yeah. Some books and a lot of episodes. It would take a long time to finish it all."

"You will acquire all forms of the material needed and bring them to me," Pein commanded.

Chrysanthemum sighed, putting her head back down. "There goes my college fund," she said miserably.

"I also have many questions about this world," Pein continued, obviously not caring about her higher education. "Until they are answered, I will not kill you or your friend. But you will still remain our captives."

"I'd like to make a compromise, sir," Chrysanthemum said.

Pein nodded, allowing her to speak.

"You guys have no idea how this world works, so instead of being captives, let us be your guides," the woman said. "If we suddenly disappear from our everyday lives, the authorities will look for us and they are already somewhat aware of you guys. So me and Rose can house you, feed you, keep you hidden and stuff. But we need to be able to act like everything is fine. I still need to go to work and Rose has family that likes to check in on her every now and then. So we can't be your captives… uh, sir."

Pein considered before nodding. "There is sense in what you say," he agreed. "But how will I know you will not double cross us?"

Chrysanthemum gave a hollow laugh. "I wouldn't dream of it," she said. "But I'm afraid I don't have anything to convince you except my word."

"Then I will once again counter your offer by requiring at least one member to guard you and your friend at all times while out."

"Great. Always wanted a bodyguard."

Suddenly, a catchy dubstep beat filled the air, startling them. Chrysanthemum got up into a sitting position a look of fear on her face.

"What is it?" Pein snapped, the dangerous edge returning to his voice.

Chrysanthemum felt the tears sting her eyes again, frustrated by it because she had just managed to pull herself together. "It's my phone," she said quietly. "Someone's trying to call me."

She knew who it was.

Pein picked the phone up off the chair and tossed it to her.

"Answer it in a normal fashion, don't reveal any details about the Akatsuki or your situation, and make it so that we can hear as well."

Chrysanthemum stared at the ringing phone. She didn't want to answer.

Hands shaking more than when her life was being threatened, she accepted the call and placed it on speaker.

"H-Hello?" she said, unable to keep her voice from breaking.

"What the hell, Chrysanthemum!"

"D-David I—"

"No, shut up! Where are you!? I thought we had plans!"

"David, I know I'm sorry, but—"

"Don't you 'sorry' me! I took time out of my schedule for this date, for you! Does that mean nothing to you?"

"David please, it means the world to me, I just…. Something came up."

"Oh yeah? Please tell me Chrissy, what came up that was so important that you had to blow me off?"

Chrysanthemum looked up at Pein and Konan who were watching her impassively. She looked at the floor and began picking at a loose nail in the wood.

"Rose overdosed," she said quietly. "I had to help her, it was really bad and—"

"YOU FUCKING STOOD ME UP FOR THAT CRACKHEAD!?"

"David, she had been missing for three days and—"

"I don't care Chrissy and you shouldn't either! I thought I told you to ditch her last year!"

"I—"

"I'm always looking out for you Chrissy and this is the thanks I get?"

Chrysanthemum couldn't even form a reply. All she could do was sob into her sweater and continue picking at the nail.

"And now you're going to cry like a bitch, huh? Unbelievable."

"D-D-David, I-I—"

"Forget it Chrissy. Don't bother coming home tonight. Stay with Rose, since she's so important to you."

There was a click and the line went dead. The room was silent, only broken by Chrysanthemums heaving lungs and the occasional hiccup. Konan finally leaned down and gently pulled the young woman's hand away from the nail in the floor, as her fingers were beginning to bleed.

Pein cleared his throat. "I have one last question and then I want you and your friend to find the Akatsuki suitable housing for the night," he said, not missing a beat.

Chrysanthemum only nodded. Konan was giving the leader a disapproving look which he chose to ignore.

"I want to know why you only wanted to tell this information to me and not the others."

"Because of Tobi-Madara-Obito, or whoever the hell he is," Chrysanthemum said absentmindedly. "He's a piece of shit who betrays you and kills Konan and I support your cause more than his, so I'd like it if you'd win."

Pein blinked, the girl's answer surprising him in more than one way. He came to the conclusion that despite the fact that she was weak emotionally and physically and clearly had some deep psychological problems, he rather liked her. She would prove to be a worthy subordinate.

"I see," he said. The leader straightened and gathered his thoughts. "I will retrieve the rest of the Akatsuki and your friend. Konan, tend to her. We will move out in five minutes."

"Sir?" Chrysanthemum croaked. Pein glanced at the pathetic girl on the floor, Konan moving to treat her injured fingers. She lifted her puffy, bloodshot eyes to look at him.

"If you do decide to kill us, can Itachi do it?" Pein didn't respond, so she continued. "Like I said earlier, he's my favorite and I'd prefer a quick death rather than Hidan's stupid ritual or Deidara blowing me up."

Pein considered. "I will keep that in mind," he told her.

And Chrysanthemum smiled at him, because his statement was the best thing that happened to her all day.

* * *

 **Thoughts?**

 **I'd love to hear from you guys.**

 **See you next week!**


	4. Chapter 4: Pancakes and Plans

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey! Sorry this is late, I've been busy at work.**

 **This chapter was a blast to write. I hope you like it as much as I do.**

 _ **IMPORTANT NOTICE! -**_ **There's a poll on my profile. I want you to vote for which of the non Naruto characters you want some drawings of. The options are Rose, Chrysanthemum, David, and Matthew. I'll post a link for you guys so you can take a look, so p** **lease vote!**

 **That's all! Enjoy! Review! Please please review!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Pancakes and Plans

The first thing Chrysanthemum did when Rose was finally untied from her chair was give her a massive hug. The girl probably wanted to make sure the drug addict was alright, but Rose could see that she needed comfort as well.

"Still a complete crybaby," the redhead said, noting her friend's puffy red eyes.

"I know," Chrysanthemum replied, letting the woman go. "I'm sorry."

"And still apologizing for everything," Rose snorted, cracking a smile. "So what's the deal?"

Chrysanthemum winced. She glanced over at Pein who had huddled the Akatsuki and was relaying some information to them. She wondered how much he would tell them.

"Do you still live in your family home?" the brown haired woman asked.

Rose twitched slightly. "Yeah," she said cautiously. "Why?"

"I need to borrow it."

"Why?"

"Because we need to find someplace for them all to stay."

"…Why?"

"Because if we don't, they're going to kill us without mercy."

Rose was quiet for a moment, staring at the Akatsuki with irritation and fear and apprehension written all over her face.

"Do I have to?" she asked, ready to face the death threats in order to protect her house.

"Rose, it's certain death or have some house guests. Get some perspective!"

"Any problems?" Pein asked, approaching the girls.

"No, sir!" Chrysanthemum yipped immediately. Rose rolled her eyes. _Still a kiss-ass too,_ she thought. Pein turned his ringed eyes to stare at her.

"And you?" he asked congenially. "No problems with your situation I hope."

Rose narrowed her eyes at the man. Death or house guests? It was really a difficult decision.

"No problems yet," Rose replied finally, deciding that death was the least favorable option. "Just keep your freaks from wrecking my place. You're replacing everything you ruin with interest."

Pein raised an eyebrow at her abrasive manner and Chrysanthemum instantly began to babble apologies for her rude behavior. Rose saw that Chrissy still lacked any form of self-confidence in the presence of men. She really hadn't changed after a year. If anything, she was worse off than before. Suddenly, Rose began to feel sick. Her stomach churned violently and an icy sweat broke over her skin. She collapsed to her knees and all she could register was her friend's alarmed shout as her vision tunneled rapidly and the world went black.

. . .

"Rose!" Chrysanthemum cried as her friend swayed and proceeded to crumple to the ground.

"What happened, un?" Deidara asked as Rose fell. The rest of the Akatsuki gathered around.

Chrysanthemum kneeled down to examine the unconscious woman.

"Probably the drugs," she murmured. "I need to get her home."

"We will be accompanying you, I presume," Pein said, which the brown haired woman agreed to with a nod.

"Can someone get her?" she asked, rising to her feet and gesturing at Rose.

The Akatsuki all looked at each other, no one seeming to want to bother. Chrysanthemum pursed her lips, agitation beginning to nag at her. Rose was in a critical condition and she didn't have time for their crap.

"Kisame, get her and bring her to my car," she snapped at the blue man. Kisame raised an eyebrow. Ignoring it, she pointed at the rest of the ninjas. "I can take one other person, but the rest of you have to follow my car. I will not slow down, so don't fall behind!"

A thought came to her and she glanced meekly at Pein. "If, of course, that's alright with you, sir?"

Pein nodded at his team. "Do as she says," he ordered. "Itachi, go with your partner. The rest of you go outside and prepare to follow them"

There were a couple grumbles, mostly from Hidan and Deidara, but they all did as they were told. Kisame took a few steps forward and reached down to pick up Rose.

"I'd watch how you talk to me," he growled. Chrysanthemum was too worn out and emotionally drained to be scared.

Once she was sure Rose was secure in Kisame's huge arms, she picked up her bag off the floor and made her way downstairs. She would be happy if she never saw the loft again. Ms. Ching was still asleep in her chair and the young woman blandly wondered if she ever left. The ninjas were outside before she was, to no one's surprise, and they were gathering around Chrysanthemum's small car.

"What is this device?" Sasori questioned with as much interest as he was capable of. It was only then that Chrysanthemum noted he was not concealed in his Hiruko puppet.

' _What the hell is wrong with the timeline?'_ she wondered.

"It's my car," she said, moving past them all. She opened the back door for Kisame. "It's how people in this world travel."

"Interesting," the puppet said, sliding his half lidded eyes over the machine. The tone of his voice told Chrysanthemum that she would have to make sure he didn't attempt to dismantle her car. Kisame followed her directions to place Rose gently in the car and then climbed in himself with the unconscious woman rest her head in his lap. Itachi kept his face expressionless as he was directed to sit in the passenger seat, but he followed the directions rather stiffly. Chrysanthemum sighed and went to the driver's side. Before she could even open the door, Pein was at her side.

"No tricks," he said, eyes boring into her. "Once we arrive and everyone is accounted for, we will speak more."

Chrysanthemum was so tired she wanted to cry. All she wanted to do was crawl into a bed, sleep, and never wake up. But she obediently gave the leader a nod and climbed into the car.

She checked her rearview mirror to make sure the others were ready to follow. She was confident they would be fine, but she would avoid major roads just to be safe. She started the car, earning a slight jump from Kisame and a tense look from Itachi. Wordlessly, she pulled out of the parking lot and began the trip to Rose's house.

. . .

After many long minutes of intense silence, Chrysanthemum was ready to burst. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Itachi. Despite her situation, she couldn't help but have a fangirl moment. Itachi freaking Uchiha was sitting less than two feet away from her. His red eyes were closed and his hands were folded as he just sat there. He was cooler than she could ever have imagined. A bit shorter than she pictured too. And a lot younger looking. But a thousand times more attractive. He was perfect

"If you continue to stare, you will crash the car and Leader-sama will not be pleased," Itachi stated, not opening his eyes.

Chrysanthemum yipped and snapped her head back to the road, Kisame snickering in the back. His attitude was about the same as well.

As Chrysanthemum pulled into the quiet neighborhood where Rose lived, rain began to fall. The house was one that Chrysanthemum had frequented in high school. She remembered always being incredibly jealous of Rose's big house, with its big back yard and movie room, and of Rose's queen size bed. She was jealous of her parents that gave her all the freedom she wanted, how she always had plenty of money, her popularity, her beauty… Rose always had what Chrysanthemum didn't. But when they became friends, Rose never withheld anything from her. She never thought she was better than Chrysanthemum, even though she was.

When Rose's parents retired, they bought several vacation homes in various locations and jumped from one to another often. They left the home Rose was raised in to her and her twin brother, Matthew. Matthew had decided he wanted his own place closer to the city, so the house became Rose's. It was her pride and joy.

Chrysanthemum finally pulled into the driveway of the house that held most of her fondest childhood memories. "We're here," she said, a bit unnecessarily.

"Finally!" Kisame groaned, opening his door. "This thing is too cramped!"

Itachi also opened his door and stepped out of the car, Chrysanthemum following his lead. She was unsurprised to see the rest of the Akatsuki waiting standing with them in the driveway.

"So this is Rose's house," she said, gesturing uncertainly. "You all can stay here until you, uh…" She glanced at Pein. "….figure things out. I know nothing I say has any value, but please try not to destroy this place. It means a lot to me and Rose, so just, be careful?"

Hidan snorted and the others looked as though they cared just as little. Pein noted this and stepped forward.

"Do as she says," he commanded. "This is her world not ours. For the mean time, we are guests and these girls are our hosts. You will not kill them and you will abide by the rules they set out."

THE Akatsuki looked rather put out as he turned to look at Chrysanthemum. "As for you, you answer to me," he said. "I still remain leader of this organization and you will act as my subordinate."

The woman nodded. "Yes sir."

He nodded back and gestured for her to continue. She awkwardly asked Kisame to take Rose again, which he did with mildly annoyed look on his face, before locking her car and walking up to the house. Rose still kept the spare key in a pot of dead flowers by the welcome mat. She dug it out and unlocked the door. The smell of the house washed over her and memories flooded her with emotion. It had been a year since she had been here. She passed the stairs and went to the living room where the Akatsuki gathered.

"Okay," she said. "Kisame, you can leave her on the couch."

Kisame gratefully drop the auburn haired woman on the couch. Chrysanthemum glanced around at the group, wondering how she was going to do this.

"Okay, Kisame and Itachi can have the bedroom at the top of the stairs," she began. "There's a movie room with a couple couches and I can fit a mattress in there too. So how about Deidara, Hidan, and Kakuzu share that one. Sasori, do you sleep?"

Sasori shook his head while Hidan said, "How the fuck does this bitch know our names?"

"Tobi, there's a room used as an office down here, but I think there's still a pullout in there you can use."

"Okie dokie Chrissy-chan!" Tobi said, far too energetically.

Chrysanthemum's eye twitched at the masked man. Shaking herself, she looked at Zetsu.

"And you…?"

" **We do not need a room,** " Zestu replied. "We will stay in the garden." The young woman nodded in acceptance and finally turned to Pein and Konan.

"Pein-sama, you can have the master bedroom. I'll move Rose's belongings out of it later. Konan…" She trailed off, uncertain as to where to place Konan.

"I will stay with you and Rose," the blue haired woman said serenely. Pein nodded in agreement.

"We'll be staying in the attic, so…"

"That is acceptable."

"Okay well, that's all done," Chrysanthemum said. "If that's all, then you guys do your criminal organization thing and have a meeting or something—"

"Hey bitch! What about some food?" Hidan yelled.

"Yeah!" Deidara said. "I'm starving, un!"

Those who ate nodded in agreement. Chrysanthemum was at a loss. It was too late to call for take out and Rose was a cooking disaster, so she doubted she owned any food.

"I-I'll see what I can do," she stammered.

"In the mean time," Pein said, voice carrying over Deidara and Hidan's cheers. "We _will_ be having a meeting."

Chrysanthemum left as groans filled the room. She went to the couch and place a hand on Rose's forehead. It was scorching hot. She bit her lip and grabbed a blanket to cover her friend with. All she could do was pray Rose would be all right. They couldn't afford to take her to the hospital and have them ask questions, especially since they were now housing wanted terrorists. Chrysanthemum glanced over to where the Akatsuki had made themselves comfortable. Pein was sitting in an armchair by the fireplace with Konan standing behind him, while Hidan, Deidara, Tobi, and Kakuzu were squeezed onto another couch. Kisame took up a whole loveseat by himself and Itachi sat gracefully one of the arms. Sasori chose to remain standing and Zestu was partially phased through one of the walls.

With a sigh, the young woman went to the kitchen and tried to find some food. As expected, the cupboards were mostly barren and the freezer was full of TV dinners. She didn't think the Akatsuki would take well to those, so she continued her search. Finally, she found flour in the pantry, eggs and milk in the fridge, and maple syrup behind several boxes of tea.

' _Okay,'_ she thought determinedly. _'Pancakes it is.'_

. . .

"So we are in an alternate world in which we do not exist," Sasori mused. "Very interesting."

"Interesting my ass!" Hidan sneered, his mouth full of pancakes as he continued to shovel them in. "It sounds like fucking bullshit to me."

"Only because you're too much of an idiot to wrap your tiny brain around the concept," Kakuzu said, eating his food at a more steady rate than his partner.

"Fuck off, old man!"

"I guess it makes sense," Kisame said, grinning at Chrysanthemum as she handed him his fifth stack of buttermilk goodness. "Everything here is so different, we couldn't possibly be in our world anymore."

Itachi nodded in silent agreement, putting more syrup on his already drowning pancakes.

"But Tobi doesn't want to be in a different world!" Tobi cried animatedly. "Tobi wants to go home!"

"I hate to say it," Deidara grumbled, taking the orange masked man's untouched plate. "But I agree with Tobi, un."

"Our top priority is to return to our world," Pein agreed. "Chrysanthemum and Rose have graciously extended their home to us until we can develop a jutsu that will return us."

Chrysanthemum snorted at that, knowing that they hadn't had a choice in the matter. She began collecting the dishes, occasionally getting a nod but not really being acknowledged by the ninja. So she was surprised when Itachi addressed her directly.

"Chrysanthemum-san."

She froze and looked at the Uchiha. He stared at her with unblinking red eyes.

"I'd like to know how much you know about us," he said in that elegant voice of his. "You very clearly seem to have some knowledge about us, as you know our names and seemingly our personalities."

All eyes were on her now. Chrysanthemum broke into a cold sweat. She didn't know what to tell him. Pein hadn't told the Akatsuki about her knowing what happens to them in the future or of Madara's plan. He probably wanted to keep the situation within his control by letting them believe they were simply teleported to an alternate dimension.

"Eh…" Chrysanthemum glanced at Pein. The leader was staring at her impassively. She figured that he didn't want her to reveal too much.

"Well, there are books about the host of the Kyuubi," she started, mind working furiously around her words. "You're antagonists in story."

"The Kyuubi, un!" Deidara exclaimed, the others making similar remarks of surprise. Pein was watching Chrysanthemum intensely.

"Yeah," she said hesitantly. "It's considered a piece of fiction here, for children. Like I said, you are in it because you're hunting it."

"But we only recently began hunting the jinchuriki," Sasori stated.

Chrysanthemum swallowed. She could practically feel the Rinnengan drilling into her. She had no doubt that if she slipped up, Pein would kill her in an instant.

"That's why there's not a lot of information about you guys," she lied quickly. "Only names and appearances and some insignificant details."

"That doesn't seem like enough to recognize us instantly by," Kisame said skeptically.

Chrysanthemum blushed at that. "Well," she said, sheepishly looking at the ground. "It was my favorite series as a kid. You guys were my favorite characters."

There was silence at that.

"Us?" Kisame asked in surprise. He looked almost flattered. "Why on earth would we be your favorites?"

Chrysanthemum shrugged and glanced up at Pein. He gave her a barely perceptible nod and relief flooded her.

"You're a weird kid," Kakuzu grunted.

"Wait, who's your favorite, un?" Deidara asked, suddenly excited.

"We are, brat. She just said that."

"No, Danna! Like who's your favorite out of all of us, hmm?"

"Um…"

"Why Blondie? Do you want to be her favorite?"

"Shut up you giant fish stick, un!"

"I'm obviously her fucking favorite."

"You wish, Hidan."

"Tobi is her favorite because Tobi is a good boy!"

"As the leader of the Akatsuki, I believe I am more than likely the favorite. Meeting adjourned."

. . .

The Akatsuki had _finally_ retreated to their rooms for the night. It was quite a hassle and involved Deidara almost blowing up Tobi, Hidan trying to sacrifice Rose to Jashin, and Pein making many painful sounding death threats. Chrysanthemum wearily got herself a plate of cold pancakes and collapsed on the couch in the living room. Pein suddenly entered the room, his entrance so silent that he startled the young woman.

"You did well not to reveal any information," he told her, resuming his seat by the fireplace. "We will keep any knowledge of the future you have between us. I trust most of the Akatsuki, but I see no good in telling them too much."

Chrysanthemum just nodded and ate her pancake. "Rose doesn't know anything either," she told him. "She never got into the show."

"Let's keep it that way," Pein said.

There was a pause in which Chrysanthemum was once again struck with the fact that this was not a dream. She was sitting in the same room as one of her favorite fictional characters and eating leftover pancakes while having a civilized conversation.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" the leader asked suddenly.

Chrysanthemum groaned, realizing it was almost one in the morning and she had the early shift.

"Yes," she replied. "Afterwards though, I can pick up all the books you need to read. I should also go grocery shopping, since there's pretty much no food here."

"I see," Pein said. "In that case, Hidan will accompany you to both work and your shopping tomorrow."

Chrysanthemum choked on her pancake. She had a violent coughing fit that lasted a solid minute as she tried to dislodge the food she inhaled. Pein waited silently for her to finish. Finally, the young woman regained her breath.

"Is there a problem?" Pein asked calmly.

"I'm sorry, did you just say Hidan?" she asked incredulously. "Religious, swearing problem, I-like-to-kill-people Hidan? Do you not see a problem!?"

Pein sighed. "He's the only one I can afford to send with you."

"Well I understand why you can't send Kisame or Zetsu or even Kakuzu! But what about the others? What about Itachi?"

"Itachi must remain here to work on the jutsu to return us to our world."

"Can't Konan come then?"

"Konan stays with me," Pein said shortly.

"Sasori? Deidara?" Chrysanthemum asked desperately. "I'll even put up with Tobi at this point!"

"Hidan is the only one that lacks the intelligence to figure out why you are going to buy those books for me," Pein said. He folded his hands and looked to the ceiling contemplatively. "Since your revelation of Madara's betrayal, I need to know everything before I can proceed any further. No one can know about your knowledge of the future."

Chrysanthemum was quiet. She understood his logic, but she still wasn't happy about it. Hidan was far from her favorite Akatsuki member. She actually thought he was quite funny and she didn't even mind his psycho religious tendencies. But he scared her to no end because he reminded her of someone. She just couldn't put her finger on who.

The two of them sat in silence for a long while, both lost in their thoughts. Finally Chrysanthemum asked a question that had been on her mind for a long time.

"Pein-sama?" Pein nodded in acknowledgement. "How did you get here? And why is Tobi… Madara… whatever, here?"

"Is there a reason for him not to be here?" he asked.

"Well in the series, Tobi doesn't appear until after Sasori's death, when he replaces him as Deidara's partner."

Pein slowly looked at her. "So Sasori dies," he said, his tone almost mournful.

Chrysanthemum shifted uncomfortably. "Uhm, yeah," she said. "Sorry."

"How many more?"

"Eh…" The young woman racked her brain. "All of you, I think. Including Madara, but I think he lasts the longest."

Pein closed his eyes. "I see."

After another long moment of silence, he opened his eyes again. "When we were transported to this world, I had gathered the Akatsuki for the first time," he explained. "I had just given them their jinchuriki assignments. Madara was there, introduced as Tobi, a potential new recruit for the Akatsuki."

Chrysanthemum nodded in understanding. "So Sasuke hasn't left the village yet," she assumed.

Pein looked at her contemplatively and shook his head. "I do not believe so."

The brown haired woman leaned back in thought. This meeting Pein was talking about must have taken place before Itachi and Kisame went to Konoha. So there were roughly two and a half years before the bijuu extractions began. And Tobi had been around even back then, which hadn't been mentioned anywhere in the series, but she supposed it made sense. This meant they had time.

"Okay," she whispered.

Pein continued to watch her. She turned to meet his eyes.

"Okay, Leader-sama," she said determinedly. "Let's get you guys back to your world, stop Madara's plans, and make sure you don't die along the way."

* * *

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 **Also remember to vote on which character you want drawings of!**

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